Page 30 of Summer Heat
She wanted to be able to tell her mom about Kade, just like she’d wanted to talk to her when she’d lost her virginity after her prom and decided she was really in love with John. But her mom had been under the weather, and her father hadn’t wanted her disturbed.
“I’m falling for my boss,” Lexie said out loud, just to see if she could get a rise from her mother.
Nothing.
With a lump in her throat and the same old lead weight on her chest, she rose to her feet and walked out of the room.
With Kendall, no matter how bad things got, there was a flicker, a spark of personality, someone and something to fight for. Her mother was long gone, and Lexie feared her father hadn’t faced that fact yet. When he did, he’d have to consider putting her in a home where she could get more specialized care—and he could go on with his life. If such a thing were possible.
She walked back downstairs, not wanting to draw attention to where she’d been or argue with her father about upsetting her mother. He was so overprotective of her it wasn’t an easy balance for Lexie to deal with.
As she approached the kitchen again, she heard the sound of raised voices, her father and sister, arguing.
“I said no. I already gave you money to buy interview clothes. I can’t imagine you need more.” Their father rarely raised his voice, so Lexie assumed this conversation had been going on since she’d walked out.
“Dad, please. It’ll be the last time. I promise. I just really need—”
“What?” Lexie asked. “You really need what?” She stepped into the room.
“Nothing. It’s between me and Dad.”
“Of course it is,” Lexie muttered.
Lexie glanced at her father, who guiltily looked away. Well, at least the shopping bags had an explanation; however, she doubted her sister had been buying interview clothes.
When they both remained quiet, Lexie threw her hands up in frustration. She headed to the table only to discover they’d already cleaned up.
“Your rooms are available if you want to stay over,” her father said as if nothing was wrong.
Which was the story of her life. Sweep everything under the rug and pretend. “No, I think I’ll pick up what I need and head back to the city.”
Kendall pouted. “Well, I think I’ll stay.”
Probably to spend more time pressuring their dad for cash. Lexie shrugged, fed up with all of it. “Suit yourself.”
Feeling suffocated by this house, the people in it, and the painful memories, she needed to get out of here.
A little while later, the dress she’d worn to her father’s big formal company Christmas party was packed up. She added a pair of sexy heels and dressy jewelry she didn’t normally need and headed back to the city.
Alone.
Lexie stepped off the train at Penn Station after dark and decided to splurge on a taxi instead of taking the subway uptown by herself. Depressed from seeing her mother, and particularly down after getting confirmation that her sister’s excessive spending wasn’t under control, which meant her illness wasn’t either, Lexie’s emotions were at the surface.
She felt raw, fragile, and alone. The only person she could turn to for understanding was her father, and clearly he was having his own challenges dealing with her mom and sister. Sometimes she was angry with him for keeping her mother at home, for not trying harder, for giving Kendall money … and other times she felt sorry for him because in addition to a full-time job, he had to juggle his wife’s and his daughter’s problems.
It wasn’t like she thought she could do a better job. Hell, Kendall lived under Lexie’s roof, and she couldn’t keep track of what her sister did when Lexie wasn’t around.
She really didn’t want to go home to the empty apartment, where she’d do nothing but dwell on her frustrations and worry about her family. Waffles wouldn’t even be there to greet and distract her, but she had no choice. The only person she wanted to be with, to talk to, was someone she wasn’t close enough to warrant calling … just because she needed a friend or an ear. But she still had to fight the urge to give the driver Kade’s address, because she believed he’d understand her sadness and frustration.
Which was odd, considering they were just beginning to test the idea of a relationship outside the office. Because she still was worried about mixing business and pleasure. And because she just knew her personal life, her sister, mother, father were all ticking time bombs waiting to explode and drag her under, ruining everything in her life she cared about. Including Kade, should she let him near.
After a difficult night’s sleep and a lot of tossing and turning, Lexie woke up Saturday morning, an entire day of beauty appointments ahead of her. Although it was hard, she had no choice but to put last night behind her and focus on today. She’d splurged on a spa day. She had appointments for a massage, manicure, pedicure, spray tan, waxing, and hair before having her makeup professionally done at Saks Fifth Avenue.
By the time she returned home to get dressed, she felt like a princess, never having treated herself quite this way before. To her relief, her sister wasn’t home when she returned. Of course, she experienced a healthy dose of guilt, as well, for feeling that way. Waffles was nowhere to be found, so maybe her twin was still at her parents’ place.
No matter, Lexie had a date to finish getting ready for and a man she couldn’t wait to see.
Chapter Eight
